Prioritea
by CabbyPotato
Summary: Foreword: pri-or-i-ty: the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important. synonyms: prime concern, first concern, the most important consideration, most pressing matter, matter of greatest importance, primary issue a thing that is regarded as more important than another. plural noun: priorities
1. Chapter 1

Foreword:

pri-or-i-ty:

the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important.

_synonyms:_

prime concern, first concern, the most important consideration, most pressing matter, matter of greatest importance, primary issue

a thing that is regarded as more important than another.  
plural noun: **priorities**

(Female Reader x Kakashi Hatake, not really. just change the words as needed. And there isn't a happy ending, FYI. Possible sequel, depends on what people think. )

Key:

Hello: Normal Text

_Hello: Flashback/Emphasis/Most of the prologue_

**Hello**_**/Hello**_**: Theme and/or Emphasis(both)**

Hello/**Hello/**_Hello(anything underlined): Emphasis_

Hitai-ate - Forehead protector

A/N: I basically decide everything for you, except clothing, (one single) eye color, and first name. If you really wanted to change anything, just pretend I never wrote that word, and substitute it. Sometimes, READER INSERT GENETICS SUCK. Because things need to make sense, and this is such a long author's note. (imsorrydontkillmeplease)

Warning: Some cursing, death, and mildly suicidal stuff. Welp.. I can't help it XD.

Please review, and I hope that isn't too demanding of me. Just some suggestions, just if you want to add them. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this!

Chapter 1 (Background / Flashback)

pri-or-i-ty:

the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important.

_synonyms:_

prime concern, first concern, the most important consideration, most pressing matter, matter of greatest importance, primary issue

a thing that is regarded as more important than another.  
plural noun: **priorities**

3rd Person POV

"Mama! Look what I made!" Haku shouted. Y/N peered around the corner of the house, staring at her brother standing by the little pond. Well, at least _felt. _She had 'special' eyes, and Mama said she needed to cover them up. So she felt around with a strange thing. Y/N could _feel_ everything. He held a small, strange, orb. It jiggled and shook, and refracted the light as it did.

'Beautiful…' Thought Y/N. 'So bright and happy, dancing with the breeze.'

The water danced, catching the light and making what seemed like a little piece of heaven had just sprouted. But of course, there had to be secrets…

**Because sometimes, it's better to just be watching…**

_**(The gentle tapping, delicate,)**_

_**S**_

_**M**_

_**A**_

_**C**_

_**K**_

**.**

"H-Haku!"'

The flash of heaven disappeared.

"I'm so sorry!", Mama cried.

_Cried._ Somehow, this almost felt right to Y/N. But, if only it was for her.

"_Jealousy," said Y/N's father, "is not allowed is not allowed to be a reason for a monster like you to gain pity."_

"_Get out, you monster."_

_Those four words dealt a blow to the young child. _

"_You are meant to be used as a tool without emotions;"_

_An eye-opening, hope-robbing statement. The words blended over in her head, as Y/N sank to be a ball, her father's legs swinging dangerously close._

"_B-Bu-" _

"_GET OUT, FREAK OF NATURE!"_

"But don't do that anymore, okay Haku?" their Mama pleaded.

"Okay, Mama."

Unbeknownst to the three, father was watching.

**..How all the events unfold..**

_**(Pleading, excuses, an extravagant tale.)**_

"Please! I didn't know!"

"Of course you knew, slut!"

"I didn't know he had it! I didn't know anything!"

"Then _how_! Explain to me how THIS CHILD HAS A KEKKEI GENKAI."

"It could have been a hidden trait, like how my ancestors-"

"YOU WOULD HAVE AWOKEN IT! STOP LYING!"

**...Listening to their emotions..**

_**(Angry bangs and tremors)**_

"Please, don't hurt him! Hurt me instead! No!" their mother sobbed.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE HURT NOW! TELL ME!"

She didn't answer. Because the torture was over then The men picked her up, and threw her into the flames. She was going to sleep for eternity. Y/N knew, because Haku told her once.

"_Haku, what happens when something stops breathing,and their heart doesn't beat anymore?" Y/N asked._

"_They sleep forever."_

_He didn't want to tell her the truth. Father was bad enough already._

**..Waiting for the wind to blow..**

_**(A flickering, waving, melody)**_

Y/N waited for an order. She grew up young, just under the age of two. But her first words being "Yes, Sir!" really didn't help with the idea of a peaceful and happy childhood.

"Go wash the sheets!"

"Yes, Ma'am,"

'Maybe I do all the work because Mama loves me,' Y/N thought.

'And she's making me better'.

'_Better'_

"_DO BETTER! LEARN HOW TO WALK WITHOUT SEEING! YOUR EYES HAVE TO BE COVERED, MONSTER!"_

"_Y-Yes! I'll do better!"_

"_Now! Leave! Go wherever you go!"_

_Y/N ran towards the woods._

**And continue watching the symphony.**

_**(Uncertain, then gone.)**_

Haku's shocked eyes, glazed over as the blood pooled over the ice.

Zabuza's hand thudding on the ground

Their mother's blood dyeing the spike, as their father died on a much colder, clearer one.

Importance came with priorities. Y/N calmly sipped a strong cup of tea. Right now, the past wasn't so important to her.

-/-/-

"Y/N, D-Ranks." Zabuza handed her a stack of papers, with at least fifty mission papers in the stack. A knowing look was what he got in return.

"We'll be doing a A-Rank, guarding the bastard Gato."

"Yes, Zabuza-dono." Y/N leafed through the stack of mission papers, sighing at the amount of unnecessary complaints that clients had left, a result from the bad mood they must have been in while writing them.

"And if you come back early, don't assist us."

She ran off, ready to do the missions. It would only take a week or so…

-/-/-

"HIding in Mist Technique"

Y/N cursed softly. '_Oh shit. Idiots…'_

Zabuza charged forward, and swung his sword with an easy, practiced, finesse. It really was easy to see what the Copy Nin's plan was. A little trickle of blood was dripping from the silver-haired ninja's side. There were three things he is famous for:

Chidori

His hair

Ninken

And he could get cut, summon his ninken, let them smell out his blood, and then use Chidori on Zabuza as they held him down. And Haku would… yes, that was a definite possibility.

"_And if you come back early, don't assist us… "_

Orders were orders. And Y/N would…

-/-/-

CLIFFHANGER!

I just feel like doing one. Sorry!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is short. Sorry!

…follow them. Zabuza wouldn't want her to jump in and save them, even if they were to die. He wouldn't injure his damned pride, even if it was for the sake of others. Because the Demon of the Mist had never lost to someone, and he would like to keep it that way.

"Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique"

8 movements detected underground. Of course, nobody else could 'feel' them.

'_...don't assist us…'_

_(But did you manage to help us? What about me? Me? Fix your sins. All your horrible deeds. Save just one of them. Please save him, oh, him, save him…)_

'_Oh, damn the Shinigami.'_

No one else heard their complaints, other than Y/N. Words blurred together, until all she could hear was her own heartbeat.

_(Chakra for sale, chakra for sale! One gram of chakra for sale! Fool, get outta my way. Papa, look at them! Look at them! I'm hungry! I'm hungry! 7 p-)_

A rasping voice was heard, knocking her out of the state of ignorance Y/N put herself in.

"Y/N…"

She jumped out of her hiding spot in the gaps of the bridge.

"Yes, Zabuza-dono."

A girl, no younger than 10, jumped out from under the bridge.

"How may I offer my services today?"

-/-/-

She looked a little like the boy with the Ice Release kekkei genkai. A little bit? Who was he kidding? They looked so similar. Her long hair swayed in the wind, eyes covered by layers of wrappings. The boy also had his eyelids shut, both having the same soft jawline, the same posture, the _samesamesameallthesamealldeadbutstandinglookinghating._

"Eliminate.. The fools…" Zabuza croaked.

"Elimination preferences?" She inquired, already grabbing a few senbon to be used.

"Just hurry up… the fastest method." Zabuza bellowed, though it was more of a weak croak than anything.

_Both too loyal, both stood too tall, both never really questioned, "Why"._

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke gasped.

A slurry of ice and water rose up from the ground, swallowing the panicking mercenaries whole. Gato's screams seemed a little sweet to her ears, taking time to slowly sink in the slush of ice and water, though no obvious facial expression was evident.

A purple hyacinth fluttered to the ground, a small white orchid tied to it.

The only evidence that anything had happened were if you had seen the men standing there before. '_Really, the girl is skilled with her ninjutsu.' _Kakashi thought. A cold realization hit him. He would have to fight the kid.

"Forbidden Jutsu-"

"No, don't do it. It's time. _For Plan B. Abort Plan A._"

/-/-/

Zabuza hobbled forward, over to Haku, and kneeled down slowly. He braced for the impact,most of his joints having been damaged some way or another during our fight. Chakra exhaustion also could've been a factor in this show of unexpected weakness. A hacking cough was heard.

"_**You know what to do."**_

…

"_Do what, Mama?" The girl asked, excitedly standing on the tips of her toes. _

"_Mama? Hello? Ma-Ma?" _

…

_Mothers aren't like the ones in the books, the little girl learned. The ones in the books were the ones where they bought pretty dresses, sometimes even baked cakes. Sometimes they were mean, but they weren't real mothers. They were called 'step-mothers'. Y/N thought that her Mama was a little like the 'step-mothers'. But the little girls in those books still loved their mothers. So Y/N would too. Maybe she would have a prince and a happily-ever-after one day too. A glorious, grand, wedding, and everyone would laugh and smile and talk and won't scream and- oh, she cut herself with the vegetable peeler. Mama would be mad if she saw the blood. One more potato, and then she would wait for Mama to come back from the school with Haku._

The woman continued to wail.

The sound of sandals clacking against the floor was all that was left. Wet coughs and gasps, but no glow of green healing chakra.

…

"_Mama? Anything I can help you with?"_

…

_The little girl learned that questions were not good that day. 'Bad questions,' she thought. 'Bad, bad, questions.' _

'_Bad, bad, bad.'_

Under Y/N's fingers, Zabuza's pulse slowed.

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

Just like all the others.

_(Useless child, yo- Don't let him die oh, no no no! Be able to touch the real objects chakra fo-)_

_Thump._

_ p._

_ p._

_ p._

Flatline. Time to follow Plan B.

/-/-/

"So apparently, I have to go to Konoha with you and your team, Hatake." A soft voice whispered, almost blown away by the breeze.

They stood in front of what would remain the legacy of Zabuza and Haku. The girl stood up, ignoring the shouts ringing in her ears.

_(Stay! Stay here! Stay! Chakra for sale, chakra for sale! Any buyers? Kid, mind your own business. Hey, she have any loyalty? Siding with the enemy! So dishonorable.)_

"Yes. We leave tomorrow morning."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I should make an updating schedule. Oh well… Also. if you're wondering/unsure, "The Demon's Apprentice" is Haku. Also, Kaiyo means 'forgiveness", FYI.

(The next day, Kakashi's POV.)

When he had carried Zabuza over to Haku as the girl named Y/N swept the rest of the mercenaries away, he could've sworn this happened a hundred times over. Even when he was in ANBU, the enemies had enough respect to honor the dying wishes of their opponents.

It happened _every. Single. Time._

He sighed. Kakashi didn't really need to remember, but Obito did it anyway for him.

_I want… to see_

_His face… one last time._

_(Kakashi carried the man's bulky figure over to the boy's dead body.)_

_Tell Kaiyo I'm sorry, eh?_

_(Kakashi wrote a little note, Sharingan spinning lazily in circles. He wasn't sure if blood smeared the ink on the paper.)_

_Please spare my family! Please spare my family!_

_(The lone ANBU walked away, only the blood of one person coating his tanto.)_

_Water, anyone! Water!_

_(He dribbled a little bit of water into her mouth. There weren't any sounds of swallowing.)_

_You promise?_

_(The body was thrown into the sea. Kakashi just hoped that his promise was satisfied.)_

_Don't tell me that, you sonofabitch!_

_(Not a peep was heard the whole time.)_

_Ka-kashi…_

_(He didn't know what to do. Was injured too severely, he noted weakly before passing out.)_

_Please… protect… Rin…_

_(The boy tried. The universe was cruel.)_

_It's Hatake! Ru-_

_(He let them run for a good ten seconds. Then he ran too. Right after them.)_

Maybe this was the last time he would kill, the last time Chidori graced his hands. (He thought that every time. A fleeting hope.) Kakashi shook his head, once again aware of the sword and cross stuck into the ground. Of course.

"Time to go, my cute little students!", he cooed, one eye curving into a stupidly-shaped crescent. The jonin just hoped how his students viewed him hadn't changed much. Kakashi had just stuck his arm through the chest of a young boy almost stupidly devoted to his master. All part of a shinobi's life.

"A-uh, your name's Y/N, 'ttebayo, you're around ten, right? You look so small."

"No, I'm thirteen."

"How are you so small, I mean, you're shorter than me?!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke huffed, and Sakura was just surprised at how bold Naruto was already, just about to smack the back of his head.

"Sorry about this _idiot_. _Naruto Uzumaki-!_"

"A shinobi's diet. You'll understand later on."

He suddenly palmed for his Icha Icha book to read, an awkward silence following as he stumbled over a tree root. Instead of pulling out his Icha Icha, the newest edition of this month's Bingo Book was pulled out. It was tiny, perfect for shinobi to carry around. WIthout realizing, he flips to the front page.

_Name: "White Orchid"_

_Description: Unknown, no survivors left._

_Trademark: Leaves a purple hyacinth and a white orchid. Unknown meaning to this. Uses senbon._

_Affiliations: The Demon, The Demon's Apprentice. A mercenary, will do whatever is required, and frequents any of the Five Countries. Most closely affiliated with Kiri._

_**Warnings: Flee on sight if below B-Rank, or fighting against without backup. **_

Oh, if that didn't sound eerily familiar with the trademark, Kakashi didn't know what. Before the kunai could leave his hand, senbon laced his arm, temporarily paralyzing it.

"Ah, so should I leave now, Hatake-san?" She asked, emphasizing the 'san'. "I believe you are considered S-Rank, have a Sharingan user, and Kyuubi container. I don't think you are in immediate danger."

"MY NAME'S NARUTO, 'TTEBAY-" Naruto screamed, before Kakashi slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Current affiliations, possible contractors, drop your weapons." He gritted out.

"Mercenary affiliations, none, why should I" Y/N replied blandly. "Besides, Chidori would be a pretty efficient option for you. Oh wait, chakra exhaustion exists. Sorry, but that sucks for you."

His students all had kunai at the ready. Man, this girl was _rude_.

"Hold on, Hatake." She yawned a bit. "I need to stop by Kiri before Yagura freaks out. You're welcome to come so you have the achievement of going to Kiri as newbie genin and coming out alive. Or half-dead jonin."

Sakura looked absolutely horrified. Seems like she caught on to what type of exchange the two nin were having. Mental breaks and coping were covered in the last year, so if need be, the newbie genin wouldn't take the screaming shinobi as a serious threat, but rather as a person who needs treatment and not get kunai lodged in their throats.

"Maa, ANBU humor? Looks like someone paid attention during class..." Kakashi chuckled nervously. His knees buckled a bit.

"C'mon, let's go!" Naruto shouted as he bolted off, danger already forgotten. A few senbon pinning his clothing to a nearby tree prevented him from running away.

"Wrong direction, kid."

"Hey! You're not that much older than me… uh- girl?"

Wait. A little part of his brain screamed at him to go, go and run after Naruto and forget he just plunged his arm through a boy's chest, tried to kill the boy's sister, that none of his precious people were dead.

Before long, he found himself being strapped into a stretcher, bound tightly.

_(enemyenemyenemyrunkunairun10kilometersmakeitrungo-)_

"We all know you can barely walk."

He didn't want to hear it, but that was the truth. His chakra levels were so low, he couldn't feel his feet at all. Instead, a dull, ringing pain replaced all sensation.

Kakashi could only just enjoy the breeze as he was carried tree from tree to Kirigakure. It was quite soothing, to be frank. The small rocking sensations soothed him to sleep, no matter how much his instincts screamed _kunai_.

"Also, anyone want some?" Y/N asked, taking a sip of what smelled like sake. "Because you'll need it later. She takes a long swig before putting the flask away.

Okay, Kakashi _does not condone underage drinking_. He hopes his cute little genin won't become alcoholics.

-/-/-

Kirigakure… to put it simply, was described as hell. Nothing could prepare Naruto for how _not-hell-like_ it was. He was pretty sure that there was a different side to this place_(just like the people in Konoha oh why)_, but it seemed nice enough. Someone said that the jinchuuriki were respected, and he wanted to live here. No one to scream. No one trying to kill him…

He breathed in, taking in the sight of the quiet, slightly humid village, mist hiding a few things from view. He could become Mizukage, could show that he wasn't evil, could try and show people how not everything is-

A barrage of senbon and a few white-painted kunai lodged themselves in his arms, Kurama's healing chakra flaring a bit. Oh.

"C'mon, those dumbasses. I don't think I really have to train you in _basic skills, right?_" Y/N ground out, obviously directing the last part towards whoever threw the weapons cleverly painted to be disguised in the mist. The stretcher with the silver-haired jonin was placed on the ground as gently as possible, though the lightweight aluminum clattering on rocks and pebbles stirred its occupant.

The sound of a flask being opened was heard. And then, a senbon pierced it before the supposedly thirteen-year-old girl could take a sip.

And this is where the short nin dragged a team of Kiri ANBU, who were the said 'dumbasses' by their shirt collars, shaking the team of five by their collars and lecturing them on chakra signatures and basic chakra sensing and other theories which Naruto didn't care about, or want to listen to.

Now, Naruto decided, Kirigakure wasn't hell. It was full of _insane_ people. Insane people who barely knew how to use senbon, or just happened to forget the Academy basics. Even he knew how to chakra sense!

Y/N dropped the muttering ANBU and raised her arms for effect.

"Well, welcome to bloody hell."


	4. Chapter 4

Random News Update: Thank you to Melodyswipes for helping me create a writing schedule!( user/Melodyswipes for those readers). This book will be updated every other Wednesday, unless said otherwise.

A/N: May I request some honest reviews? I might edit some parts around, as I know this story needs work. This chapter introduces Sakura, and a little teeny bit of background on her life. Team 7(with a passed-out Kakashi on a stretcher) walks around Kiri, and since I have no idea when Yagura dies, we see a sad Kiri. Just warning you, more puns/lines having to do with tea and priori(tea)sAnyways, enjoy!

Sakura still trembled a bit, fists clenching the red fabric of her dress. She wanted to rip it apart, that _stupid red dress her mother made her wear and the one she tripped over and the one she looked like a big fat target in with that big circle and-_ "Such unladylike thoughts," her mother would scold. But this is a situation where her daughter could die, and stupid dresses from a stupid civillian family didn't really matter to her now. Sakura let herself make a small rip that could be blamed on being in the wash.

And this was _Kirigakure_, of all places. The books had horrid names like the "Bloody Mist" or "Village Hidden in Bloody Mist" and all sorts of horrid descriptions. Kakashi-sensei was passed out, and now this random girl their age was leading them around this… _inhumane_ place. She would've called it a place burning for eternity and torturing incarcerated souls, if you catch the drift, but Mama said it was unladylike. So Sakura kept her mouth shut, and tried to glance around discreetly, the vendors looking suspicious with the diminishing vision.

"So, how long do we want to stay here?" The girl with the strange accent asked. So far, Sakura was the only one who really wondered what accent that was. It made her words seem a bit thicker, a bit smoother.

"W-what do you mean we have a choice? The permit says three days?" Sakura stuttered, kunai just in reach.

The girl just laughed. "Oh, it's not that bad here. Nobody follows the three-day rule, anyway. If not, I'll just pull some favors."

Sakura was even more nervous now, spending time with this random girl who knew how to incapacitate her sensei, carry him around a whole village on a stretcher(even if it was dragging at some points, it was still terrifyingly impressive), and could pull favors from presumed sword-wielding, blood-thirsty maniacs who lacked self control.

Maybe they wouldn't survive Kirigakure, contrary to what the girl said. Stupid Naruto, accepting offers from strangers.

_(But maybe she liked this stranger; this stranger who was strong, and she was a girl, too. Sakura wanted to be like her. But girls aren't supposed to be strong, they have to be weak so they can be saved by strong boys. She turned away.)_

-/-/-

Sasuke didn't know what to think. This _insane_ girl barged into his life, and essentially dragged his team to a dump full of dead bodies. He wasn't the only one who read the genin textbooks and listened to Iruka's lectures, albeit he found them boring at the best of times. He needed to graduate immediately and hunt the _traitor of the clan_. But now, vengeance wasn't his top priority, surviving to act on that vengeance once. His Fuma shuriken sealed in his scroll and just in reach, he thought that this was an adequate weapon against senbon and swords. '_Or maybe not against swords,'_, he lamented to himself.

He pulled out a shuriken and fidgeted with them as they made a few stops around the desolate village that lacked much-needed people to even _make_ a village.

"Anyone want to plop down for some tea first?" The deranged girl asked.

Sasuke forgot her name long ago, the last time they had really had a sliver of conversation was while traveling and Kakashi-sensei(more like stupid paintbrush-head) had freaked out and then had a mini confrontation before passing out from chakra exhaustion. Other than that, there was only the occasional sound of birds and the slosh of mud when Naruto wasn't careful where he was stepping, and the _whoosh_ of their movement. It only took them an hour to get to Wave, but the route to Mist took around 6 hours at full speed. Many soldier pills were eaten by the three genin in that period of time.

"Yes… I would like a nice hot bowl of ramen, with think slices of _glistening _pork, and some narutomaki on it, with extra nori-" Naruto began, but was cut short by I-don't-know-what-your-name-is.

"We don't really eat any land animals here. Fish is the most commonly used ingredient, and I doubt that any of you could afford a pork broth ramen here anyway", she cut through. Sasuke just wanted a nice tomato onigiri, and he was set for the night-

"Also, not many farmers live around here. The ground in too marshy for many crops other than rice and lotus root. Things other than that might be hard to find." said that droning voice again, already heading off into another direction. Sasuke groaned internally and prepared himself for a long night of starvation.

This time, they were headed to the Mizukage's office. Shinobi were lined up at the entrance, all waiting solemnly. All bore the Kirigakure hitai-ate, a relatively new sight for the three genin, especially Sasuke. He spent most of his time training to get to clan standards, while Naruto and Sakura had time to slack off and stare out windows.

"Okay, 'scuse me, I need to report back to the Mizukage immediately- hey, please this is important…"

The stretcher Kakashi was strapped and deposited on was being dragged around, the silver haired jonin still passed out from chakra exhaustion. '_Idiot,'_ Sasuke thought. '_Overusing his kekkei genkai, even if his body never truly accepted it.'_.

The young Uchiha boy had previously heard whispers about the silver-haired ANBU that was so obviously not an Uchiha that went to see his clan's medical specialists, especially ones that dealt with dojutsu issues arising from newly obtained Sharingan. But obviously, there was no Uchiha clan left, so there wasn't much talk about silver-haired ANBU or tales of eye-stealing and similar nonsense.

He almost laughed bitterly when they finally got to the doorway. He didn't want to meet this stupid Mizukage person. They were likely to be an arrogant bastard who might have pulled a lot of strings to get the position. He also didn't want to remember what could've been, rather, he wanted to think of what he could do right now to another arrogant bastard with a kunai.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A/N: Have a nice day! That's all I have to say for now.

Though the girl only known as 'Y/N' has shunshined many miles to shorten their journey, it still took a lot of running to Kirigakure. The trip was around one-hundred fifty kilometers in total, and Sakura estimated that the girl could shunshin around ten kilometers every half hour. Their average running time was one kilometer per fifteen minutes, as calculated previously by their sensei, though she suspected they were a bit slower due to nausea from the sudden shunshins. So, if they shunshined the first ten kilometers, then ran two kilometers, then another shunshin, then…

Kilometers: /

Half Hours: /

Sakura used a kunai to draw lines in the ground, quickly scuffing away her work with her sandals, attempting to discreetly block her embarrassment from showing her mental weakness of not being able to mentally calculate math in her head quickly. They were really only running about four hours, the other three spent when Naruto and Sasuke couldn't figure out how to water-walk and this 'Y/N' had to use a water-stabilizing jutsu, and even then, the two idiots couldn't figure out how to water-walk properly, and their sensei couldn't just carry them as he was still passed out from chakra exhaustion. Sakura wasn't sure the last time she had run that far, and that fast.

And, now, they're having tea with the new Mizukage, just realized by Y/N(Sakura didn't realize when she dropped the 'this' and 'that girl'), because she _can't stay a single damn day inside her village_. How do you not just _notice_ your village leader died, and now everyone's depressed and then- _oh no your village's economy is failing shinobi are dying blah blah blah_.

Sakura had yet to understand this blatant ignorance of important information.

"So, Mei, how's the new position going?" Y/N asked, lazily leaning her head on her hand.

"Paperwork, more paperwork, the daimyo's going insane, he's retracting funds and I don't know what's happening right now because just last week, Zabuza was alive, Yondaime-sama was found to be brainwashed and all of us didn't know what to do, and now you drag a wimpy Konoha genin team and their sensei here. And then oh, you're leaving. We could really use some more funds," the Mizukage grumbled.

'_Such un-Kage like behavior'_, a little voice whispered in the back of her head. '_Men must be powerful leaders above us all! We women do our duties to their men, tending to their children, cooking, cleaning, and we will comply to their bidding!"_. Sakura clenched her fists once again, her nails sliding back into the crescent-shaped slots in her palms.

This was making her feel so damn lost, and Sakura didn't know why just requesting to have some advice would be so troublesome. Kakashi-sensei never really focused on her anyway, and why would this be an exception? Didn't she just want to be just as powerful and not be as useless?

Honestly, Sakura didn't even know if Sasuke liked shy girls he could save easily, or if he liked strong girls who could be on the same level as him who liked equality. Sakura didn't even know her own _crush_ that well. Heck, all she really knew about Sasuke was that he was Uchiha Sasuke, had pale skin and dark hair, didn't like talking, was sitting right next to her right now, and lived alone. She didn't even know what happened to his parents, if he had even met them in his memory. He seemed to draw closer to that weird, short girl whenever he felt a bit threatened but Kiri nin passing a bit too close for comfort. Maybe Sasuke just didn't like her, she realized.

Everything was driving her _fucking insane_. She had a perfectly stable life where everyone was happy, and then she would marry her Sasuke-kun and live happily ever after. Sakura didn't like the faint calling of strength and power that called to her, didn't like the voice in her head that said she was useless, didn't like the sudden realization that maybe Sasuke liked other people other than herself, and maybe even Ino.

The sound of the not-so-Kage-like Mizukage brought her out of her thoughts. A strange face without visible eyes, soft voice with a strange accent. They all practically reeked with power, almost overwhelming every other little aura within their vicinity.

"Mhm, so where are you going?" The auburn-haired Mizukage asked, hands clasped together. "I hope it's an area where you can get here quickly, with all of this rebellion stuff and people being all prissy and whatnot."

"Ah, to Konoha I guess? There may be more convenient teleportation jutsu that I could learn." A too-short-dwarf responded rather despondently. The power and chakra was _just out of reach_, and Sakura wanted to _rip it out of its vessel and take it and use it and then maybe Sasuke would like her and-_

The little lilting voice once again voiced its concerns about being ladylike and how maybe instead of sharpening kunai in her future, maybe she could sharpen a kitchen knife instead for Sasuke and cook for him and their children together, and instead of running to muddy dumps of people and unfairness and dead bodies, she could run into Sasuke's arms at night, and could kiss him on the cheek. Sakura once again submitted easily to the voice, berating herself once more for thinking about fighting for everything she believed in. This word worked on give and take, and she could, no _would_ give up everything for her love.

Power could wait. Her desire(and her mother's wishes for her) for Sasuke couldn't.

_('I want to learn your ways,' Sakura thought. 'But why should I if everyone says women break too easily for this kind of job anyway?')_

-/-/-

Y/N could practically see everyone in the room, physical or not. Their presences screamed at her-

_(intruder INTRUDER __**INTRUDER ALERT **__stat kunai poison, orange inject syRINGE-)_

And she knew all of their information by heart.

**Well, they were her creations after all!**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm so sorry for posting late! I'll try and post the next chapter tomorrow to make up for it. Also, finally a bit of your POV! Kubikiribocho is spelled wrong on purpose here, and if the FBI sees that I'm searching up poison… haha. Yeah.

Every time Kakashi tried to blearily open his eye and regain his senses, there was a blob of red(Sakura) and orange(Naruto), a darker navy blue(Sasuke) blob seemingly being a big grouch. A clear, expressive voice and a strange soothing one that seemed to be bartering their trade. There was the bittersweet scent of sake lingering in the air.

Definitely human traffickers.

Minato-sensei would be mad if he had to spend extra time saving Kakashi, and his mind felt hazier than he had ever known before. The three colorful blobs must be his clients, Kakashi decided.

"Sakura-san, please run away." the little ninja whispered. His lips felt like stone, whatever he said coming out jumbled and unclear.

"Kakashi," another blob(_trafficker, he repeated.)_ said, walking over to him. "Hatake Kakashi! Get out of it!" snapped the blob. The scent of sake drew nearer, repulsive yet alluring.

"This is a mission and I _will not fail!_" the black monster of desperation in him roared furiously. Bound tightly by leather straps, all the little jonin could do was wriggle around helplessly, like a fish in a sink without running water.

"HATAKE! Jonin #009720 of Konoha, Copy-Cat nin, A-Ranked! As your commander, I order you to _snap the fuck out of it!_" the blob(_Y/N? Trafficker?)_ spit out.

"Who are you? I know, wait, a wimp?" he sneered like an immature genin. In situations like these, the shinobi must always fight back. Kakashi could see his three clients huddling together in a corner, the other blue and auburn blob still sitting at the desk.

Kakashi faintly remembered a 'momochi'(_what a funny name, huh?)_, and some other flashy jutsu and a Kubirichibo-thingy. The sake-smeling blob groaned.

"No wait. Let me think. Not a wimp, but a cow! A wimpy groaning cow!".

Sake-blob groaned again. Well, Kakashi tried.

-/-/-

This was taking longer than expected. This idiot wouldn't snap out of his delirium, and now she had to use her 'almighty voice of healing' as Mei called it, to get the silver-haired idiot out of whatever dream he trapped himself in. It would've been way more amusing had their planned trip time been longer, as Konoha would probably flip out over a genin team gone missing. Well hey, Konoha was nuts. And they had a lot of nut cases to freak over about, both Kiri and Konoha alike.

"No, let's see again. You're a-"

"Oh KAMI! HATAKE KAKASHI, IT IS NOT THE THIRD SHINOBI WAR. YOU ARE IN KIRIGAKURE. YOU ARE SAFE. YOU ARE CHAKRA EXHAUSTED. THOSE ARE YOUR STUDENTS.".

"-fat…"

Slowly, his world began to crack? Was he in the future? Wait, why was he in Kiri?

It was very easy to guess what he was thinking based on his facial expressions and twitches under his mask, Y/N noted glumly. All shinobi were the same at heart, all of them so lost for the sake of politics and minor scuffles. This mental setback was extremely common, and frowned upon by the daimyo's who never even touched a shuriken or kunai.

"Maa, I'm back, my cute little genin students! Did you miss me?" The jonin smiled from the floor, looking like a wimpy groaning cow, or whatever he was saying earlier.

_(syRINGEarsenic fill it OrANGEs watchout usethekunai run she sees us oHSHIT)_

She ignores whatever crap fills her mind, words blending together until they just… disappear for an instant. Then the clutter in her head comes back again, and the voices of the genin students and other shinobi fill the room. Y/N looks around, at the fussing students(Sasuke trying not to look concerned), the Mizukage laughing jovially while whacking the dark-haired girl on the back with enough force to at least break a pencil cleanly in half.

To most, all is well and dandy again. To the girl sitting solemnly at the desk though, her thoughts swirl around like the sediment when brewing leaves from a tea bag, clouding that would originally be interpreted as pure, happy laughter and joy.

There was much more work to do in this shinobi world, outside of this happy office and its happy occupants. Much, much more. Plans had already been set in place for a few years now, and she wasn't about to mess everything up.

_Because when you tear something apart, you better do it cleanly. It was easier to put back together in the end. She's learned that the hard way. _


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Where I make Sakura kinda related to Gaara. I have a headcanon where Sakura's parents came from Suna, so that's just me filling in her backstory!

Naruto was happy. Really happy, and he wasn't wet anymore either! His second favorite person in the world, KakaBaka, just woke up and made a joke! A joke that was funny!

"Faaaaat cows who groan like wimps!" Naruto sang, dancing around in the small office.

The blond danced around his sensei who could only just lay strapped to the stupid metal and cloth construction and be spit all over. Naruto could really care less, after the scare with Sasuke-teme. Like he would ever admit that he cared about that teme. He didn't; Naruto told Sakura. And Naruto told himself that, too.

Sasuke would never be as important as Iruka-sensei, as KakaBaka, as Sakura-chan, or his ramen. _Never._

Naruto laughed again, and promptly started to make googly eyes and drooled over his sensei's vest, causing Sakura to shove/punch (he couldn't really tell; it hurt either way) into the wall of concrete that was the outer perimeter of the Mizukage office. This hurt _really _badly and no-pork-chasu-ramen girl just shook her head and then slammed her head on the granite of the Mizukage desk, and the Mizukage herself laughed harder. Now that he considered it, maybe the granite desk hurt more than the wall.

Sasuke-teme let out another _tch_ and looked out the window, which was situated all the way across the room, passed the still-laughing Mizukage and dream-killer girl who liked to slam her head on desks.

"Hey, teme," Naruto started, making a really weird face as he started talking. "Don't ya wanna, like be a tree?".

-/-/-

Mei finally finished laughing her guts out, only to start chortling again. The poor dark-haired girl groaned again. Mei understood why the Copy-Cat nin called her that, even if it was just a relapse in memory, and decided that she would let the Konoha team off the hook for their duration in Kirigakure. More fun for her, anyway!

-/-/-

Sakura wanted to punch herself and Naruto right back to Konoha. Sasuke, she would woo with her beauty. And Kakashi-sensei? Uhm, she might just leave him in Kiri because nobody wants a silver-haired pervert in _Konohagakure no Sato_, the land of _green trees _and _crystal clear lakes_. Sakura didn't know who created those stereotypes about Konoha, 'cause really, Konoha was a dump full of blond/blonde idiots with a fat mountain full of faces that were the targets of horror stories and wives' tales. She didn't know why her parents decided to move from Wind Country to the land full of wimpy, stupid, genin; of course, both her parents were genin, but they graduated top of their class, or so she was told.

_(Sakura didn't believe them. Mama yelled too loud for a ninja, stepped too harshly, and didn't act like any of the chunin or jonin she had seen. Papa made too many jokes, clothing was too tight, and overall just breathed too loud. Well, Papa had to have saved Mama, right?)_

The pink-haired kunoichi just slumped against the wall, sliding down slowly.

Suddenly, a sharp tug around her waist alerted her to a disturbance, but by then, Naruto and Sasuke are bond together, and Sakura is tied into the mix. Thin ninja wire dug into her wrist, and the bundle of genin were slowly dragged away like dogs on a leash, with their sensei being dragged on the floor, having passed out again. The laughter of the Mizukage slowly died away.

Shinobi started to make a path through the winding halls, warily the unconscious jonin and chuckling at the bumbling genin. Sakura's cheeks flushed red.

Once they are out of the Mizukage building, the three genin are released unharmed, albeit with red marks where the wire had been bound a little too tightly for their liking. Their sensei has been set down lightly, and their captor sighs again.

"Okay, I'm sure that all of you don't know the way back to Konoha, and I'm heading back in the same direction. Any questions?"

"Ya, it there any ramen on the way 'ttbay-"

Sakura slapped him before Naruto could finish his sentence on ramen and whatever the hell he wanted to eat. The sun started to set long ago, so the cool mist brushed against their uncovered skin and Sakura's still-red cheeks. She still can't help but feel the presence of dark shadows dancing beneath the mist, the white substance starting to swirl and become one with the darkness.

"We'll make it to Konoha by tomorrow. Two hours or running and then we stop to camp out, 'kay?"

Oh Kami, this girl was really a slave driver, wasn't she?


	8. Chapter 8

I'm going to rewrite this story, and then post it. See ya, I guess!


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